KC’s Toy and Miniature Museum reopens Saturday on a national scale (slideshow)

Saturday, August 1, following a major capital campaign and a yearlong renovation, the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City reopens as the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. And it is, pardon the pun, a big deal. 

Though the 33-year-old operation is a millennial by the calendar, its holdings span nearly every American generation (along with numerous fascinations from other countries). The Pitch toured the beautifully reworked space last week, and we’re already eager to go back and see everything again. The photos on this page and in our slideshow were snapped by our art director, Jeremy Luther — like me, a first-time visitor who’s now a committed fan. Yes, the permanent collection still features plenty of nostalgia-evoking toys, but what we got lost in was the meditative perfection of the fine-scale miniatures that now take up the first floor. The one above, by local master William R. Robertson, is a mind-bogglingly detailed replica of an early-1900s architecture classroom. 

There’s new stuff, too:

In a striking solution to a climate-control vexation, the museum has covered an old window with this custom-designed and -fabricated ode to the zoetrope. Give the satisfyingly substantial metal handle a turn, and a scene comes to life before your eyes. (On the display cases on either side are other toys for the eyes, including old View-Masters.)

Also debuting this weekend are two temporary exhibitions: Pedal to the Metal: Pedal Cars and American Car Culture, and Messengers of Goodwill: The 1927 Japanese Friendship Doll Exchange.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Tuesday; admission costs $5 for those ages 5 and older (free for kids younger than that).